Sedevacantism

Sedevacantism is the term commonly used to denote the belief, held by a minority of Traditionalist Catholics, that some or all of the men generally recognized as Popes since the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958 (Pope John XXIII, Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul I, Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI) have not truly held the papal office, and have hence been antipopes. The word is derived from the Latin phrase "sede vacante", which means "while the See is vacant" and is used in Vatican documents in the interval between the death or abdication of the Pope and the election of his successor.

Conclavism

As noted above, some groups have put forward their own popes in opposition to those in Rome, making them "conclavists" rather than "sedevacantists" in the strict sense of the word. The Palmar de Troya movement (formally, the "One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic and Palmarian Church") asserts that Christ appeared to Clemente Domínguez y Gómez, a Spaniard, and told him that he was to assume the papacy on the death of Pope Paul VI. This claimant, known as "Pope Gregory XVII", died in March 2005. One of his followers, Manuel Corral, succeeded him as "Pope Peter II".

Related Topics:
Palmar de Troya - Spaniard - Pope Gregory XVII - March 2005 - Manuel Corral

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The United States-based true Catholic Church elected Fr. Lucian Pulvermacher, a traditionalist priest, as Pope Pius XIII in October 1998. This group accepts the theory that Pope John XXIII became a Freemason in 1935 while he was serving as papal nuncio to Turkey. "Pius XIII", however, in an interesting wrinkle, admits to having divined with a pendulum since his seminary days, a practice which arguably caused him to suffer automatic excommunication even before his ordination to the priesthood.

Related Topics:
United States - True Catholic Church - Pope Pius XIII - October - 1998 - 1935 - Papal nuncio - Turkey - Divined - Pendulum - Seminary

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Another conclavist group elected Victor von Pentz as Pope Linus II in 1994, and a third group elected David Bawden as Pope Michael I on July 16 1990. Bawden and Pulvermacher have, predictably, declared Pope Benedict XVI an antipope.

Related Topics:
Victor von Pentz - 1994 - David Bawden - July 16 - 1990

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For a full list of rival popes elected by conclavist groups, see the article Antipopes.

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